Mandate and objectives

Mandate
To increase worldwide knowledge of the land, its soils in particular, and to support their sustainable use and management
  
Objectives

  • To inform and educate - through the World Soil Museum, public information, education, discussion and publication
  • As World Data Centre for Soils, to serve the scientific community as custodian of world soil information by collecting, scrutinising, analysing and disseminating data and information, and making them freely available
  • To undertake applied research on land and water resources and their management
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Fields of activity

ISRIC's three fields of activity are:

  • Information and education under the World Soil Museum
  • Soil standards, documentation and dissemination under the World Data Centre for Soils 
  • Use of our own and other data for a wide range of applications through the Applied Research program

Details by year may be found in our Report of Activities: see also our brochure.

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History of ISRIC

The origin of the ISM/ISRIC lies with the International Society of Soil Sciences (ISSS). At its 7th Congress, in 1960, the foundation of an “International Soil Museum” was recommended in a resolution that also called for the compilation of a “Soil Map of the World”.

The need for such a Museum was emphasized through a new resolution, at the next ISSS Congress in 1964, which mentioned that its programme should link up with the FAO-Unesco-ISSS “Soil-Map-of-the-World-Project” as started in 1961. Soon after the 1964 Congress, Unesco agreed to include the soil museum idea in its Programme of Earth Sciences (nowadays the Division of Ecological Sciences). An offer from the Netherlands Ministry of Education and Science (ONW) to house it in the Netherlands was accepted by the General Conference of Unesco in 1964. The formal start  of the Museum was in January 1966, in part of the premises of the Institute for Soil Science of Utrecht University (RUU).
 

Synopsis:

1964: The International Society of Soil Science proposes the establishment of an International Soil Museum

1964:  Proposal for an International Soil Museum adopted by the UNESCO General Council   more ...

1966: The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences of the Netherlands provides working funds for the International Soil Museum. Personnel and financial affairs are handled by the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences, Enschede. Housed in the University of Utrecht.    more ...  

1977: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands (Directorate General of International Cooperation) provides funds for the housing of staff, laboratory and the International Soil Museum. Premises in Wageningen completed 

1984: The International Soil Museum is renamed International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC)

1989: ISRIC became the ICSU World Data Centre for Soils

1995: ISRIC became a Foundation

2002: ISRIC transferred its cooperative agreement from ITC to Wageningen University.   more...

2003: ISRIC - World Soil Information  registered

2006: ISRIC celebrates its 40th anniversary.    more ...

2011: ISRIC is accredited as a regular member of the new ICSU World Data System

2011: 45th anniversary! 

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